Ethos, on Hobart’s Elizabeth St, has been a favourite of mine for the past year that it’s been open.

Ethos will scare some people off – the menu is by no means normal. It is an exciting addition to the Australian food scene and more importantly, it is a drawcard for Tasmania as a destination.

I would argue that Ethos, in it’s intention, is on par with Garagiste, Pigeon Hole and perhaps even MONA in what it aims to achieve for Hobart. Certainly a positive development from the at times inaccessible Picalilly on Battery Point’s Hamden Rd (which closed down to make way for Iain Todd’s newer project).

The dish I thought I would concentrate on what a delicious $12 number of seared octopus. The octopus had a smokey, intensity to it that left me wondering how it had been achieved.

Arguably, there wasn’t much to it but that’s why I think it succeeded. Too many of the other dishes enjoyed were over the top. Too many flavours that hadn’t been pulled off as well as this delightfully simple dish.

Ethos should definitely continue to push the boundaries. All that needs to be remembered is that in doing so, sometimes they’ll fall short. I don’t think that’s any reason to be disappointed, it’s all part of the experience because when they get it right, they really nail it.